Billingtons launch new Oldham podcast
Date published: 23 May 2023
Matt Dean is pictured (centre) with podcast guests Geli Berg and Carol James
Billingtons Oldham have teamed up with a local startup to produce a weekly podcast - 'Billingtons; In The Heart of Oldham'.
The podcast will be recorded in a new space set up within a new town centre events venue.
The project was devised by Matt Dean, who runs KUPOD Productions from his studio in Hollinwood, while also working part-time as events manager at Billingtons.
The podcast will feature artists, performers and the people who use the venue, giving an insight into them and the venue.
“I love podcasts because they really can cover any topic of interest, and the audience for them doesn’t need to be huge for them to have an impact,” said Matt, who has been hosting and producing award winning Oldham Athletic podcast 'The Boundary Park Alert System!' since 2020.
“I know from experience that when people are passionate about a topic, they will hunt out as much information as possible on it.”
The first guests on the show were Geli Berg, a locally-based music promoter and Carol James, whose act Jazzette will perform live at Billingtons this Saturday (May 27).
The name Billingtons will be familiar to many as the former dance school on Ascroft Street, which closed its doors in 2016.
Since then, local businessman Krystof Zemlik has invested heavily in transforming the building into a new home for his Ascroft Medical business on the ground floor and transforming the upstairs into a stylish cafe, bar and events space in the old ballroom.
Added Matt: “I have a lot of admiration for Kris and what he’s done with this building.
"So many of these types of places get knocked down and a little more of our heritage is gone.
"In this case, Kris has invested heavily and really listened to local people to try and protect its legacy.”
Kris added: “There’s a big conversation to be had about the future of the night-time economy, live music and entertainment in Oldham, and we’d like Billingtons to be at the heart of that conversation.
“It’s been a big investment on my part, but I believe in the venue and the town, I know we are creating something unique and special here and the podcast will be a great way to showcase that.”
The podcast is out now on Spotify.
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